April 8, 2011WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

LPD presents the flag at Seattle Mariners' Opening Night game: About 30 members of the Lakewood Police Department, joined by the chief and the city manager, are carrying and presenting the large flag on the field at the opening ceremony of the Mariners' game on April 8th against the Cleveland Indians.

Saturday April 16 is Parks Appreciation Day: Citizens are encouraged to join us on Saturday, April 16th at the City of Lakewood's 10th Annual Parks Appreciation Day celebration. Projects are planned at Fort Steilacoom Park, Harry Todd Park, Kiwanis Park and Wards Lake Park between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and noon. This is a regional effort associated with a county-wide Parks Appreciation Day and celebrations of Earth Day, Arbor Day and National Parks Week. Participants should dress appropriately for the weather and bring clearly labeled hand tools from home, including such things as pruners, gloves, rakes, shovels and small pitch forks. Participants will be able to help prepare our local parks for the busy spring/summer seasons and have fun as well. To register families, service organizations, school or church groups, please call Suzi Riley at (253) 983-7758.

7th Annual Helmets vs. Shields Baseball Game on April 16: Saturday, April 16th is the 7th annual Helmets vs. Shields Charity Basketball Game between West Pierce Fire and Rescue and the Lakewood Police Department. The game will be held at Pierce College, at 9401 Farwest Drive, at 6:00 p.m. This has been a great fundraiser for our two charities and all of the money raised is put right back into the community. Tickets are $5 at the door and children under 5 are free. There will also be a silent auction, a raffle and t-shirts for sale.

Police Officers participate in Special Olympics "Tip a Cop" Program: On Saturday, March 26th, eight Lakewood police officers participated in the Special Olympics "Tip a Cop" program at the Lakewood Red Robin Restaurant. The officers helped wait tables and serve food, soliciting tips as donations. The officers ended up raising $4,000 for Special Olympics.

Ass't city manager presents to APA Federal Planning Conference: Ass't city manager David Bugher is attending the American Planning Association's Federal Planning Division Training Conference this week in Boston to present the region's experience in planning for growth at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He is on a panel with other regional representatives and officials from the Office of Economic Adjustment of the Defense Dept, and costs are covered by the City's OEA grant.

Police train JBLM Human Resources staff on self defense: On March 25th, the JBLM Human Resources Office hosted a training session with the Lakewood Police Department on Self Defense. Associates learned how to be aware of their surroundings, how to react, what to say and the importance of the word " NO". In great exchange spirit, McChord had 57 associates attend and stay for the class, while at least 15 more observed. LPD Lt Steve Mauer taught the importance of self awareness and the proper stance. He demonstrated different defense techniques that can be used by anyone to get themselves out of a bad situation. JBLM plans on having more in classes the future.

Burglary case resolved: On March 30th, police officers investigating a burglary in the area near Lake Steilacoom found the suspect vehicle at a residence near Fort Steilacoom Park. Investigating officers obtained a search warrant, and recovered a large amount of stolen property linked to at least two burglaries. Meth and heroin was also recovered. Officers also noted several building issues and large amounts of discarded trash piling up in the back yard as well as a number of junk vehicles. Officers called in Building Department staff who posted the house as unsafe to occupy. Code Enforcement directed the property owner to remove the trash and junk vehicles. The owner is currently in the process of cleaning up the property.

Homicide Detectives arrest murder suspects: Lakewood Homicide Detectives made two arrests this week in a quick resolution to the murder case that occurred at Wards Lake Park on March 31st. Detectives learned that the victim had been lured to the park by a female, who had planned to rob him of his money with help from her boyfriend. Once the female got the victim to the park, the boyfriend came out of hiding and began to assault the victim with a handgun. The victim fought back and tried to run away, but the boyfriend fired two shots at the victim, who later died from the gunshot wound. The suspects took the victim's money and belongings and fled on foot. Both were arrested and charged with Murder in the 1st degree and Robbery in the 1st degree.

Lakewood to host Washington State Archives training session on public and electronic records management: On April 15th, Lakewood is again hosting another Washington State Archives training session on the basics of Public Records Management and Electronic Records Management in the Council Chambers at Lakewood City Hall. These two half-day sessions are designed for state and local government agencies in public records management.

City Clerk appointed to IIMC committee: Lakewood's City Clerk was recently appointed to serve on the 2011-2012 International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) Education and Professional Development Committee. The committee's goals and objectives are to identify resources for existing on-line and on-land educational opportunities, to recommend new online course topics, and to provide feedback on educational concerns such as new trends in education, unmet educational needs and certification celebration models and questions from the membership.

Staff to present at Washington Association of Public Records Officers Spring Training in Yakima: On April 13th, Legal/City Clerk and Information Systems staff will be presenting at the Washington Association of Public Records Officers Spring training in Yakima. Staff will be speaking on "Litigation and the Public Records Act - What Happens after They Sue" and the "Nuts and Bolts: Exemption Logs, Records Tracking, Redaction and Other Basics for Public Records Officers."